1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing systems and information processing methods that link the operation of two or more network-connected information processing apparatuses, and to computer programs used with the systems and methods. In particular, the present invention relates to an information processing system and information processing method in which a plurality of network-connected information processing apparatuses cooperatively operate to perform distributed processing, whereby the information processing apparatuses operate as a virtual information processing apparatus, and to a computer program used with the system and method.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an information processing system and information processing method which grasp the surplus processing capability of a virtual information processing apparatus including a plurality of network-connected information processing apparatuses, and which perform distributed processing on a function, whose implementation is ordered by one network-connected information processing apparatus, and to a computer program used with the system and method. In particular, the present invention relates to an information processing system having a function of automatically performing data processing, which matches user's preferences, by using the surplus processing capability of a virtual information processing apparatus including a plurality of network-connected information processing apparatuses, and to an information processing method therefor and a computer program used the system and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that, by using a network to connect a plurality of computers to one another, sharing of information resources, sharing of hardware resources, and collaboration among a plurality of users are realized. Regarding connecting media between computers, there are various types such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet.
In particular, recently, technologies of computers, networks, etc., have become greatly widespread even in general households. Information equipment such as in-house personal computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs), audio/video (AV) equipment such as television receivers and video players, various types of home information appliances, consumer electronics (CE) equipment, etc., are connected to one another by a home network. In many cases, this home network is connected to an external wide area network such as the Internet through a router.
Although, as described above, a utilization form in which a plurality of AV devices are connected to a home network is assumed, this form has a problem in that there is no sufficient linkage among the AV devices.
On this problem, recently, research and development concerning grid computing for realizing high calculation performance in order to link devices on a network have been advanced (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002-342165, 2002-351850, 2002-358289, 2002-366533, and 2002-366534).
According to the grid computing technology, a plurality of information processing apparatuses on a network can cooperatively operate to perform distributed processing, whereby they can operate for a user as a virtual information processing apparatus.
For example, when a plurality of information processing apparatuses having recording reservation functions are connected to a network, they can realize cooperative operation for recording reservation. Specifically, when the information processing apparatuses mutually link the recording reserving operation thereof via the home network, they operate as a virtual recorder on the home network. In addition, by using a user interface of one of the information processing apparatuses, a user can use an arbitrary apparatus connected to the home network to perform recording reservation. For example, the information processing apparatuses exchange schedule information such as their recording reservations, and a graphical user interface (GUI) of any of them displays, in merged form, information of all programs reserved for recording, whereby operability is improved when the user sets the recording reservation.
Furthermore, by linking their recording reservation functions, programs (so-called “counterprograms”) having the same time at which recording is reserved can be simultaneously recorded. For example, when a plurality of programs need to be reserved for recording at the same time, by using the GUI of a particular information processing apparatus, a recording reservation status of another information processing apparatus and a free area of an external recording unit can be confirmed, and recording reservation of still another information processing apparatus can be set.
Similarly, by linking the recorded-content playback operation of a plurality of apparatuses, simultaneous and synchronized playback of content can be realized. By using the linkage of the recorded-content playback operation to simultaneously and synchronously advance playback of pieces of content recorded by different apparatuses, the concept of channel switching can be introduced in content playback.
According to such a virtual information processing apparatus, even if it is difficult for only the hardware resources and processing capability of a single information processing apparatus to comply with a request from a user, by utilizing the surplus processing capability of another information processing apparatus, which is linked to cooperatively operate on the network, the virtual information processing apparatus can meet the user's request. Furthermore, a service that is not realistic with a normal information processing apparatus can be realized.
It is considered that, when users perform data processing by using information processing apparatuses, regarding types of data processing requested and parameters for use, preferences differ for each user. For example, although various types of data processing, such as image-quality improvement in which a user edits content to have preferred quality, and re-encoding that re-encodes content encoded in an encoding system into content in another encoding system, can be used for original content, each type of data processing used by each user reflects a user's preference.
However, filtering and re-encoding for performing image quality improvement of content is data processing that needs high processing capability. Accordingly, it is necessary to confirm availability of system resources, and it is necessary to set a parameter for use in order to obtain content having preferred quality. Such data processing is time-consuming.
Furthermore, in cases such as a case in which a user wishes to perform similar data processing on plural pieces of content, it is obvious that the amount of operation, on each piece of content, needed by the user, is huge.
In addition, in general, data processing on the pieces of content needs a large number of arithmetic operations, so that a large load acts on the resources. Therefore, starting data processing in response to a request from the user may cause an adverse effect, on the entire system, such as a case in which, during the data processing, the response of other processing is delayed.
For example, a content recommending system (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-233622) has been proposed in which an arithmetic operation load is small and which recommends content in accordance with the probability of polarization of user's preferences. This system includes a content feature value database for storing feature values including attribute values of one or more attributes associated with pieces of content, an attribute emphasis-factor database for storing emphasis factors of user attributes, and an attribute-value-emphasis-factor database for storing emphasis factors of plural attribute values of the user attributes, and, in this system, search conditions concerning a feature value are determined based on the emphasis factor of each attribute and the emphasis factor of each attribute value, and a piece of content to be recommended is selected based on the search conditions.
However, there is a possibility that content reflecting detailed user's preferences does not originally exist.